Sunseeker in California for race's final two days

NEEDLES, Calif. -- The Sunseeker 295 team made it to California
on Day Eight (Sunday, July 22) of the American Solar Challenge,
and team members stopped to spend the night in Needles, Calif.,
just inside the Arizona-California border.

No official ASC standings have been posted since the evening
of July 20, so the WMU team's placement is not know. Weather
conditions for Day Eight of the race were hot and sunny, with
the desert temperature standing at 106 degrees Fahrenheit in
the shade at 6:30 p.m. PDT.

The team began Day Eight a dozen miles east of the Flagstaff,
Ariz., ASC checkpoint. The cause of an extraordinary draw on
the car's power supply that occurred late in Day Seven (July
21) of the race was determined to be a loose screw that put the
shaft on the car's drive train out of alignment. The problem
was easily fixed, and the team put the car on the road early
Sunday at the point where it had run out of power Saturday night.
The car passed through the Flagstaff checkpoint, continued for
127 miles to the Kingman, Ariz., checkpoint and continued another
25 miles, crossing into California before stopping for the evening.

The team's only stop during the day was a 10-minute stop to
repair wiring that had come loose due to road vibration. Driver
Marissa Melchior started out the day in the Sunseeker cabin.
Later in the day, Kurt Hayden took over the driving duties.

The team plans to drive 150 miles through the Mojave Desert
to Barstow, Calif., by the end of Day Nine. ASC officials are
keeping all competitors in Barstow until the start of Day 10
on July 25. All competitors still in the race will take off that
morning for Claremont, Calif., the race's final destination.